Beams with U-shaped cross-section

ABSTRACT

A beam comprising a first portion having a U-shaped cross-section, wherein the U-shape comprises a bottom and a first and a second side wall extending substantially perpendicular to the bottom, and wherein the first and/or the second side wall comprises a first substantially straight portion, a second substantially straight portion and a side transition zone between the first and the second substantially straight portion. The disclosure further relates to bumpers, rocker panels, side impact beams and B-pillars comprising such beams and to vehicles incorporating such components.

This application claims the benefit of European Patent ApplicationEP14382133.8 filed Apr. 7, 2014 and French Patent Application FR 1361220filed Nov. 15, 2013.

The present disclosure relates to beams including a portion having asubstantially u-shaped cross-section. The present disclosure furtherrelates to bumpers, rocker panels, side impact beams, and b-pillars andfurther to vehicles, such as cars comprising such components.

BACKGROUND

Vehicles such as cars incorporate a structural skeleton designed towithstand all loads that the vehicle may be subjected to during itslifetime. The structural skeleton is further designed to withstand andabsorb impacts, in case of e.g. collisions with other cars.

The structural skeleton of a car in this sense may include e.g. abumper, pillars (A-pillar, B-Pillar, C-Pillar), side impact beams, arocker panel, and shock absorbers. These components may incorporate abeam and additional plates around such a beam. It is known to use beamshaving a substantially U-shaped (or “hat”-shaped cross section). Suchbeams may be manufactured in a variety of ways, and may be made of avariety of materials.

For the structural skeleton of a car, or at least for a number of itscomponents, it has become commonplace in the automotive industry to useso-called ultra-high strength steels (UHSS), which exhibit an optimizedmaximal strength per weight unit and advantageous formabilityproperties.

Some of these steels, such as e.g. 22MnB5 steel, are designed to attaina microstructure after heat treatment, which confers good mechanicalproperties and makes them especially suited for the hot stamping processused to form steel blanks into particular automobile parts. In order toavoid the decarburization and the scale formation during the formingprocess, 22MnB5 is presented with an aluminum-silicon coating. Usibor®1500P, commercially available from Arcelor Mittal, is an example of asteel used in various components, possibly involving so-called tailoredand patchwork blanks.

Usibor® 1500P is supplied in ferritic-perlitic phase. It is a fine grainstructure distributed in a homogenous pattern. The mechanical propertiesare related to this structure. After heat treatment during hot stampingprocess, a martensite microstructure is created. As a result, maximalstrength and yield strength increase noticeably.

A typical hot stamping process may include heating a blank of flat steelin a furnace to an austenitic state and hot forming the blank between acooled pair of tools (e.g. in a die). The blank may be maintainedbetween the tools until the blank has hardened and has rapidly cooleddown. An essentially martensitic structure with a tensile strength ofmore than 1.300 Mpa, e.g. approximately 1.500 Mpa can be obtained.

The use of beams having a relatively thin-walled U-shaped cross-sectionmay be advantageous since they can be manufactured using e.g. hotstamping processes and because they provide good bending stiffness perunit weight and thus enable improved performance under bending and incompression. As mentioned before, in some implementations, additionalplatework may be provided, e.g. a cover plate “closing” the U-shapedcross-section. Such a closed cross-section may improve stiffness of theresulting component.

In examples of the present disclosure, beams having a substantiallyU-shaped cross-section with improved properties are provided.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect, a beam is provided comprising a first portion havinga substantially U-shaped cross-section, wherein the U-shape comprises abottom and a first and a second side wall. The first and/or the secondside wall comprises a first substantially straight portion, a secondsubstantially straight portion and a side transition zone between thefirst and the second substantially straight portion.

According to this aspect, a beam having improved deformation propertiesand control of collapse may be obtained. When subjected to a bendingload, which may be caused by an impact, the side walls of a standardU-shaped cross-section may collapse under buckling. According to thisaspect, the first and/or second side wall comprises a side transitionzone between a first straight portion and a second straight portion ofthe side walls. This side transition zone in a way interrupts the sidewalls. The buckling behavior of the side walls may thus be changed: thebuckling load may be increased and the deformation under buckling ischanged as well.

A beam that may have a varying cross-section along its length andincorporates such a side transition zone in one or both of the sidewalls is made possible by modern hot stamping techniques. It has beenfound that the weight of a component, such as e.g. a B-pillar may besignificantly decreased (e.g. in an order of magnitude of 5-10%) byincorporating such side transition zones while maintaining or improvingthe behavior under impact, i.e. the behavior during deformation.

The transition zone may assume a variety of shapes as long as thebuckling of the side walls is influenced with respect to substantiallystraight side walls.

In some examples, the U-shaped cross-section further comprises a firstside flange extending from the first side wall, and/or a second sideflange extending from the second side wall. Such side flanges may besubstantially parallel to the bottom of the “U”. The inclusion of sideflanges on the one hand has an influence on the moment of inertia andthus on the bending stiffness, and on the other hand, the side flangesmay serve for attachment of plates or other components.

In some examples, the bottom of the substantially U-shaped cross-sectionmay comprise a stiffening rib. Such a stiffening rib may include aportion that is curved inwards. Such a rib may cause the U-shapedcross-section to crack in a controlled manner. If, in the case of impactand collapse of the structure, a beam cracks, it is desirable that crackpropagation occurs in a controlled manner. The rib can ensure thatcracking occurs at the bottom, and furthermore, the crack behavior ofsuch a U-beam is influenced by the side transition zones. Because of theside transition zones, it may be achieved that when the bottom cracks,the crack only extends along the bottom portion of the U-shape, and doesnot go beyond the bottom. This may increase passenger safety in the caseof a collision.

In some examples, a first and/or a second side flange may comprise aflange transition zone, i.e. the side flanges are not substantiallystraight portions. Such flange transition zones may increase the momentof inertia around the bending neutral axis.

In some examples, the beam may further comprise a second portion havinga U-shaped cross-section wherein the U-shape comprises a bottom and afirst and a second side wall extending substantially perpendicular tothe bottom, the side walls not having a side transition zone. In somefurther examples, the beam may further comprise a third portion having aU-shaped cross-section wherein the U-shape comprises a bottom and afirst and a second side wall extending substantially perpendicular tothe bottom, and wherein the first and/or the second side wall comprisesa first substantially straight portion, a second substantially straightportion and a side transition zone between the first and the secondsubstantially straight portion. Thus a beam with different portions,with different cross-sectional properties can be provided.

In these examples, the U-shaped cross-section with sidewalls having sidetransition zones may not be provided along the entire length of thebeam. In the case of for example a B-pillar, strength and stiffnessrequirements and deformation requirements are only a selection of alldesign requirements. A B-pillar needs to be complementary to the shapeof a car door for example. To this end, on the exterior side of acentral beam (sometimes referred to as a “central B-pillar”) an exteriorcover plate may be provided that is adapted to a car door. But thedimensions of the central beam need adaptation along its length toproperly support such a cover plate. Additionally, on an interior sideof the B-pillar, i.e. a passenger side, cushions, rubbers, fabricsaccording to an interior design may need to be fitted. To this end, onthe interior side of the central beam, one or more interior cover platesand trim panels may be provided. Again, the dimensions and shape of thecentral beam need to properly support and fit with such an interiorplates along the length of the B-pillar.

A B-pillar may further need to fit a door locking system for example.Such a door lock may require a substantially flat surface, and inparticular a substantially straight sidewall of a U-shapedcross-section. Along the length of the B-pillar, the shape anddimensions of the U-shaped cross-section may thus vary.

The requirements may vary from one type of car to another type. In somecases, an improved B-pillar may be obtained by providing a first portionhaving a U-shaped cross-section with side transition zones, a secondportion that does not have such transitions (e.g. to fit a door lock),and a third portion that again has such side transition zones.

In another aspect, a B-pillar comprising a beam according to any of theexamples as herein disclosed is provided. In particular, a centralB-pillar may be such a beam. In further aspects, bumpers, rocker panelsand side impact beams incorporating any of the examples of the beams asherein disclosed are provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Non-limiting examples of the present disclosure will be described in thefollowing, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1a schematically illustrates an example of a central beam of aB-pillar according to an implementation;

FIG. 1b schematically illustrates a number of cross-sections of theexample of the central beam of FIG. 1 a;

FIG. 1c schematically illustrates a number of cross-sections of theexample of the central beam of FIG. 1a with internal and externalplates;

FIG. 2a schematically illustrates another example of a central beam of aB-pillar according to an implementation;

FIG. 2b schematically illustrates a number of cross-sections of theexample of the central beam of FIG. 2 a;

FIG. 3a schematically illustrates a further example of a central beam ofa B-pillar;

FIG. 3b schematically illustrates a number of cross-sections of theexample of the central beam;

FIG. 3c schematically illustrates a number of cross-sections of aslightly modified central beam;

FIG. 4a schematically illustrates an example of a bumper beam accordingto an implementation; and

FIGS. 4b and 4c schematically illustrate two cross-sections of thebumper beam of FIG. 4 a.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLES

FIG. 1a schematically illustrates an example of a central beam of aB-pillar according to an implementation. In FIG. 1a , lines A-A, B-B,C-C and D-D are indicated. FIG. 1b schematically illustratescross-sections of the example of the central beam of the B-pillaraccording to FIG. 1a along these lines.

A central beam of a B-pillar such as the one illustrated in FIG. 1a maybe made from an Ultra High Strength Steel, such as Usibor 1500. A hotstamping process may be used for its manufacturing. A so-calledsoft-zone (not further illustrated) may be provided along a portion ofthe beam. A soft zone is a portion of the beam that has increasedductility and deformability.

A (central) B-pillar may generally comprise a central portion whichwidens both towards an upper end and towards a lower end. Such a centralportion may extend along approximately 70% of the length of theB-pillar, whereas the wider lower end may extend along approximately 20%and the wider upper end may extend along approximately 10% of the lengthof the B-pillar. These wider portions are sometimes referred to as“lower gusset” and “upper gusset” respectively.

Several cross-sections at different heights of the beam of FIG. 1a areillustrated in FIG. 1b . The same reference signs have been usedthroughout the figures to indicate the same (or very similar)components. In order not to obscure all the drawings, not all referencesigns have been repeated in each of the depicted cross-section.

At section D-D, the beam may have a substantially U-shapedcross-section, wherein the “U” comprises a bottom portion 1, a firstside wall 2, and a second side wall 3. The side walls may besubstantially perpendicular to the bottom. Generally completeperpendicularity will not be achieved due to the need of removing thebeam from a mold (or die).

The first side wall 2 may comprise a first side portion 2 a, and asecond side portion 2 b and a side transition zone 10 between the firstand second side portions. The first side portion 2 a extends from oneend of the bottom portion towards the transition zone. The second sideportion 2 b extends from the transition zone towards a side flange 4.Equally, the second side wall 3 may have such first and second sideportions 3 a and 3 b and a side transition zone 10 between them. Anotherside flange may be provided at the end of the second side wall 3.

The side flanges 4 and 5 may be substantially parallel to the bottomportion 1. The side flanges may be provided in order to facilitatemounting of several items including e.g. an interior cover plate, i.e. aplate on the interior side or passenger side of the B-pillar.

The side transition zone 10 along section D-D may comprise asubstantially straight portion that is not parallel to the first andsecond side portions 2 a and 2 b, whereas these two side portions aresubstantially parallel. The side transition zone may thus be inclined(i.e. not horizontal), but with a different inclination than the firstand second straight portions of the side wall. Similar arrangements maybe seen in section A-A and section B-B.

The bottom of the U-shape along section D-D comprises a stiffening ribin the form of an inwardly curved portion. Inwardly herein is to beunderstood as inwardly with respect to the U-shape.

A different cross-section is shown for section A-A. Firstly, theU-shaped cross-section is significantly wider than the cross-section forline D-D. Secondly, the shape of the stiffening rib 7 may be differentalong section A-A. Furthermore, the side transition zones 11 in thiscase may comprise a first fillet radius 11 a, and a second fillet radius11 b. In one practical example, such radii may be e.g. 5 mm each.

Along section C-C, the beam may have a substantially U-shapedcross-section, but the side walls 2 and 3 do not comprise any sidetransition zones. A portion of the central B-pillar may thus be adaptedfor the inclusion of a door lock. Such a door lock may require asubstantially flat surface of side wall 2.

Along section B-B, again a substantially U-shaped cross-section may beprovided. However, along this section, the side transition zones 12 mayagain be different from the side transition zones depicted for sectionD-D and section A.A. In the various examples shown so far, it may beseen that the side transition zone is relatively short as compared toe.g. the bottom of the U-shape. The width of each side transition zonemay preferably be less than 20% of the width of the bottom of theU-shape and optionally may be from 5%-15%, or approximately 10% or lessof the width of the bottom of the U-shape. Width herein is defined asthe dimension of the transition zone (and bottom) that is perpendicularto the height of the cross-section. The width of the bottom definedherein is the width between the connections of the bottom to the sidewalls. The side transition zone 12 in this case may comprise a firstfillet radius 12 a, a second fillet radius 12 b and a substantiallystraight portion 12 c in between. Such a substantially straight portionmay be not parallel to either the bottom of the U or to the first andsecond side portions of the side walls.

It has been found that a B-pillar incorporating such a central beam asschematically illustrated in FIGS. 1a and 1b may achieve a weightreduction as compared to a central beam that does not have the sidetransition zones, while satisfying the strength, stiffness and inparticular deformation requirements and kinematic behavior. Thedeformation requirements under impact are particularly important for aB-pillar: as it deforms, it moves inwards, i.e. in the direction of thepassengers. In order to improve safety for passengers, strictrequirements as to how far inwards the beam is allowed to move have tobe complied with. Movement of the beam inwards also means that energy ofan impact is being absorbed. If more energy is absorbed by such amovement, less energy needs to be deformed by deformation and rupture.The side transition zones help e.g. a B-pillar to absorb high levels ofenergy while avoiding too much intrusion towards the passengers.

The weight saving may be achieved by reducing the thickness of the beam,e.g. along portions of the beam. Patchwork blanks may be usedaccordingly. Another way in which weight saving may be obtained is thate.g. the portions of the beam along which an interior plate has to beprovided may be reduced. For example, an interior plate may only need tobe provided along an upper portion of the B-pillar and a lower portionof the B-pillar. This may have a further effect in that material use maybe reduced.

Although the height of the transition zone of the side walls hasgenerally been indicated in sections D-D, A-A and B-B at substantiallythe same height, around 50% of the height, this does not necessarilyneed to be the case. On the one hand, the specific height of the sidetransition zones may be varied along the length of the beam. On theother hand, the side transition zones may be placed between 50-90% ofthe height, in some cases between 60-80% of the height of the U-shape.For a lower portion of the B-pillar, i.e. the portion where an impactmay occur and the portion that is highest (and possibly widest), it hasbeen found that side transition zones between 60%-80% of the height, andin particular around 70% of the height are beneficial. Herein 0% of theheight is understood to be at the height of the side flanges (where theside flanges connect with the side walls) and 100% is to be understoodas the height of the bottom portion of the U-shape.

In some examples, it may be advantageous to provide the side transitionzones closer to the bottom of the U-shape. When the side walls buckleand the first side wall portion buckles inwards, it may make contactwith the bottom portion of the U-shape and may thus support the bottomportion. This may improve the deformation behavior.

FIG. 1c schematically illustrates that a B-pillar in some examples maycomprise a central beam 21, an external plate 22 and an internal plate23. The internal plate 23 may serve for attaching parts of a car'sinterior. The external plate 22 may serve particularly for providing acomplementary shape to a car door.

Both an internal plate and an external plate, depending on the specificimplementation, may contribute to the structural strength and stiffnessof the resulting B-pillar.

FIG. 2a schematically illustrates another example of a central beam of aB-pillar according to an implementation. Various cross-sections alongthe lines indicated in FIG. 2a are shown in FIG. 2 b.

Again, same reference signs as already indicated in FIG. 1b have beenused for indicating same or very similar components. Again, not in allthe figures, all the reference signs have been included, in order not toobscure the drawings.

The sections A-A, B-B, C-C and D-D of FIG. 2b are generally quitecomparable to the sections shown in FIG. 1b . A main difference is thata flange transition zone 8 is provided between a substantially straightportion of side flanges 4 and 5 and the first and second side wallsrespectively. The side walls may extend beyond the side flanges 4 and 5.Such a flange transition zone may comprise a concavity that is opentowards the bottom portion of the U-shape.

Similar flange transition zones may be provided along sections A-A, C-Cand B-B. Again, the width of the transition zone may generally be 10% orless of the width of the bottom of the U-shape. For each of thesesections, the moment of inertia around the neutral bending axis may bechanged and the behavior under a bending moment can thus be improved. Incombination with the side transition zones 10, 11 and 12, it has beenfound that given the same structural requirements and impactrequirements, the weight of the U-beam may be significantly reduced. Asynergistic effect is provided by the combination of the flangetransition zones and the side transition zones, as the side transitionzones enable redistributing resistance to bending moments over differentcross-sections. Due to the flange transition zones, the height of theside walls increases, which would make the side walls more prone tobuckling. The side transition zones compensate for this. A resultingB-pillar may thus have a reduced weight.

In the example of FIGS. 1b and 2b , a beam thus comprises a firstportion with substantially U-shaped cross-section with side transitionzones, a second portion having a U-shaped cross-section wherein the sidewalls do not have a side transition zone (around section C-C), and athird portion with substantially U-shaped cross-section with sidetransition zones.

FIG. 3a schematically illustrates another example of a central beam of aB-pillar according to another implementation. Various cross-sectionsalong the lines indicated in FIG. 3a are shown in FIG. 3 b.

Again, same reference signs as already indicated in previous figureshave been used for indicating same or very similar components. Again,not in all the figures, all the reference signs have been included, inorder not to obscure the drawings.

The sections A-A, B-B, C-C and D-D of FIG. 3b are generally quitecomparable to the sections shown in previous figures. However, contraryto previous examples, the bottom portion of the U-shaped cross-sectionsC-C and B-B in this case may comprise a stiffening rib.

A further difference may be found in section C-C, wherein the side wallsalso incorporate side transition zones. In the previous examples, theside walls did not incorporate such transition zones, because asubstantially flat side wall was necessary for mounting a car door lock.However, the current example serves to illustrate that depending on thespecific implementation, and e.g. depending on the precise position of adoor lock, variations are possible.

FIG. 3c schematically illustrates other possible cross-sections for acentral beam of a B-pillar that is comparable to the beam illustrated inFIG. 3a . In the cross-sections D-D and A-A of FIG. 3c , it may be seenthat these substantially U-shaped cross-sections do not incorporate sidetransition zones. Sections C-C and D-D do however incorporate transitionzones in their side walls.

Inventors have found that in the case of a B-pillar, the incorporationof side transition zones along a portion of the lower half of theB-pillar has particularly advantageous effects. Along a lower half of aB-pillar, the B-pillar (due to structural requirements) may havesubstantially U-shaped cross-sections with higher side walls than alongthe upper half. These side walls may thus be more prone to buckling. Forthis reason, a side transition zone along the highest cross-sections ismost effective for improving the deformation and kinematic behavior.

In some examples, side transition zones may be incorporated at leastalong a lower half of the central portion of the central B-pillar, i.e.between a lower widening portion (generally referred to as “gusset”) ofthe central B-pillar and about 50% of the height of the B-pillar. In anexample, the side transition zones may be incorporated at least along aportion extending at least between approximately 20% and approximately50% of the height of the B-pillar, i.e. extending from a lower gusset upto half the height of the B-pillar.

FIG. 4a schematically illustrates a three-dimensional view of a bumperbeam 30. Bumper beams may also have a substantially U-shapedcross-section. In this example, the cross-section is illustrated as anopen section, but in other implementations, such a U-shape may be closedby an additional plate extending at least between the side flanges ofthe U-shape.

Central portion A and side portion B are schematically illustrated inFIG. 4a . FIG. 4b illustrates a cross-sectional view of a centralportion A, whereas FIG. 4c illustrates a cross-sectional view of a sideportion B.

With reference to FIG. 4c , a bottom portion 31, a first side wall 32, asecond side wall 33, and side flanges 34 and 35 are illustrated. Alongthis portion of the bumper beam of this example, the side walls do notincorporate side transition zones.

A central portion of the bumper beam (FIG. 4b ) however, doesincorporate a side transition zone 40. The side transition zone 40 maybe arranged at a height between 50-80%, particularly around a height of70%. Herein 0% of the height is understood to be at the height of theside flanges and 100% is to be understood as the height of the bottomportion of the U-shape. The side transition zones in a bumper beam maygenerally have similar advantageous effects in a bumper beam as in aB-pillar.

Also visible in FIG. 4b is a stiffening rib (inwards protrusion) of thebottom portion 31 along a central portion of the bumper beam.

All illustrated examples of beams may advantageously be manufacturedusing hot stamping techniques. The cross-sections of the beams varyalong their length, preferably in a substantially continuous manner. Thenon-constant cross-section along the length of the beam makes themparticularly suitable for stamping.

Although only a number of examples have been disclosed herein, otheralternatives, modifications, uses and/or equivalents thereof arepossible. In particular, examples of beams have only been shown inconnection with a B-pillar and in connection with a bumper beam.However, similar effects and advantages may be obtained when examplesare implemented in other structural parts, such as e.g. a rocker panel,or a side impact beam. In general, the side transition zones asdescribed in examples may preferably be provided along a stretch of atleast 10% or at least 20% of the length of the beam of the structuralpart in question in order to significantly influence the bucklingbehaviour of the side walls.

Furthermore, all possible combinations of the described examples arealso covered. Thus, the scope of the present disclosure should not belimited by particular examples, but should be determined only by a fairreading of the claims that follow.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A beam comprising a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion, the first, second and third portions having a U-shaped cross-section, wherein the U-shaped cross section comprises a bottom and a first and a second side wall extending substantially perpendicular to the bottom, and wherein in the first and third portion, the first and/or the second side wall comprises a first substantially straight portion, a second substantially straight portion and a side transition zone between the first and the second substantially straight portions of the side wall, wherein the side transition zone comprises a substantially straight portion and wherein the first and second substantially straight portions of the side wall are substantially parallel to each other and the straight portion of the side transition zone is not parallel to the first and second substantially straight portions, wherein in the second portion, the first and second side walls do not have a side transition zone, and wherein in the first portion the side transition zone is arranged between 50-90% of a height of the side wall, and the straight portion of the side transition zone is inclined with respect to the bottom of the U-shaped cross section.
 2. A beam according to claim 1, wherein the U-shaped cross-section further comprises a first side flange extending from the first side wall, and/or a second side flange extending from the second side wall.
 3. A beam according to claim 2, wherein the first and/or the second side flange are substantially parallel to the bottom.
 4. A beam according to claim 3, wherein the first and/or second side flange comprise a flange transition zone.
 5. A beam according to claim 1, wherein the side transition zone comprises a first fillet radius at an end of the first substantially straight portion and a second fillet radius at an end of the second substantially straight portion.
 6. A beam according to claim 1, wherein the side transition zone is arranged between 50-80% of the height of the side wall.
 7. A beam according to claim 1, wherein the bottom comprises a stiffening rib.
 8. A beam according to claim 1, wherein the first portion extends along at least 10% or along at least 20% of the length of the beam.
 9. A beam according to claim 1, wherein the third portion extends along at least 10% or along at least 20% of the length of the beam.
 10. A beam according to claim 6, wherein in the first portion, the side transition zone is arranged between 50-70%, or between 60-80% of the height of the side wall.
 11. A beam according to claim 10, wherein the side transition zone is arranged at approximately 70% of the height of the side wall.
 12. A beam according to claim 7, wherein the stiffening rib comprises a portion that is curved inwards.
 13. A B-pillar comprising a central beam according to claim
 1. 14. A B-pillar according to claim 13, wherein a lower half of the central beam comprises the first portion.
 15. A vehicle comprising a B-pillar according to claim
 14. 16. A bumper comprising a beam according to claim
 1. 